Cyberbullying

Causes and Effects of Cyber Bullying

 

        Bullying is repeated behavior which someone does and says hurtful things to another person on purpose. With modern technologies such as internet, cyber bullying has become an issue. Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that using electronic media such as mobile phones or computers and over the internet to bully other people. Cyberbullying includes spreading rumors or untrue statements about a person via social media, sending texts that make a person feel unsafe, posting hurtful things about someone and sharing embarrassing picture with others. There are many reasons that causes cyber bullying and many ways affect a person (The Children’s Society, 2018). It has many negative outcomes like impacts on mental health and many more.

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According to Patchin et al. 2019, “When students were asked about the specific types of cyberbullying they had experienced, mean and hurtful comments (25%) and rumors spread online (22%) were the most commonly-cited”. So, there are two ways in which cyberbullying takes place namely, direct attack where messages are sent directly to the victim and by proxy where someone else is used to cyber bully a victim knowingly or unknowingly. One of the causes is the anonymous nature of the internet, so it can make the identity of the bullies are anonymously. With that, the bullies can attack aggressively because no one can even find out who or where they are. The victims can be hurt badly because it is worse than harm someone physically. With the internet, information can be spread quickly and it’s hard to really remove things on the internet. According to S. Indramalar (2017) from Dr. Vimala’s study about 43% of the respondents feel that cyberbullying happen because people view it as a form of entertainment. In some cases, the bullies do for entertainment purpose without thinking the impact. Moreover, Centers for Disease Control (2019) claims that the reports of cyberbullying are highest among middle school students, followed by highschool students, and then primary school students. So, the cause which have been identified that result in cyberbullying among students is revenge. Some students with negative feelings may even use same way as they’ve treated by taking those feelings out on other peers.

The bullies are usually ignorant about the effects of their actions. Even though, the effects can harm the victim and the bully such as experience mental health problems. Karin & Laura (2019) claims that youths involved in cyberbullying, as victims and bullies are at increased risk for anxiety and depressive symptoms. The victims are feeling sadness, nervousness, depression and self-harm in some cases. Cyberbullying increases the risk of suicide; the victims may even begin to feel hopeless so they try to indulging in harmful activities like drugs and alcohol. This occurs because of the harassment or intimidation on the internet to the victims by the perpetrators. The victims will experience lower self-esteem and self control which means they will become afraid to interact with the others. This can affect their performance and attendance at school or public places. Therefore, prevention of cyberbullying must be highly considered.

In conclusion, cyberbullying is a serious issue and it can be a cause of chaos in society. Cyber bullying affect everyone those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who are watching. Parents and teens can do some things that help reduce the cyberbullying such as using the social media wisely. The parents can explaining to their child that cyberbullying is wrong and can have serious consequences.

 

References :

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2019). Preventing bullying.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv/bullying-factsheet508.pdf

Karin H., & Laura, L. 2019. Cyberbullying and Psychological Well-being in Young adolescence: The Potential Protective Mediation Effects of Social Support from Family, Friends, and Teachers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

 

Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. 2019. Cyberbullying Data. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/2019-cyberbullying-data

The Children’s Society, (2018). Cyberbullying’s impact on young people’s mental health. 2018